Are bullying prevention assemblies worth it?

A parent recently asked me, “Is it possible for a teacher to bully a student?”  In essence she was saying, “My child is being bullied by a teacher, but I don’t know what to do about it.” As a parent myself, I know where she’s coming from. We’ve had a couple (not a lot) of negative experiences with teachers over the years, and it definitely feels like bullying. The behavior is much the same: one person attempts to take power over another person in a way that is negative, hurtful, or abusive. So is it technically “bullying” for a teacher to treat a student this way? (more…)

Is bullying really getting worse in schools? It's a hot topic in the news, but real statistics on bullying are few and far between. I'm very grateful to the team of bullying experts at WalletHub who put together these new Bullying Statistics for 2016 »

As a parent, I know what it’s like to have a child come home from school after being bullied. It breaks your heart. The struggle for many parents is to know when to step in and intervene, and when to step back and give kids the space to try and solve it themselves. Of course, we should always help our kids by being good listeners and providing advice for how to respond to bullying. But when should we step in and intervene for our kids? (more…)

This article has the potential to make a lot of people angry. As a full time anti-bullying speaker, would I ever advise parents to “step back” when their kids are bullied. Well… yes. Sometimes. But that doesn’t mean we should refuse to help them. What I mean is: there are times when our help isn’t help at all – times when we can accidentally make the situation worse. (more…)

A lot of parents tell their kids, “Don’t let the bullies get the best of you.” It’s a popular thing to say. It has a nice ring to it. Obviously no one wants to give the best parts of themselves to a bully. The crazy thing is: this same saying can mean different things to different people, and how you understand it makes all the difference.

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We all know that the internet emboldens students to be mean online. So how do you respond to cyberbullying without stooping to their level? In this video blog post, I describe the top ten ways to end cyberbullying. (more…)

Do you really have to be bullied by the words and opinions of other people? In this video post about bullying, I explain two positive ways students can respond without giving power to the bully. Ultimately bullying is about power. They might try to take it from you, but you don’t have to give it to them. (more…)

“He’s bullying me!”  “She’s bullying me!!”  On many school campuses, the term “bullying” has become more of a joke than a real accusation. The term is used so often that it loses its power. As a full time anti-bullying speaker, I help students understand the real meaning of what is bullying? (more…)